The restaurant's exteriors and interiors won't really make you think that it is a "grill" resto. It has a much more relaxed ambiance compared to the other restaurants of Chef Jessie.
But during the blessing and opening day, the place was really jam-packed and they've set-up a small buffet table that doesn't ran out of cochinillo (yum!), roast beef (double yum!!), salad greens, baked clams and mussels, prawns, grilled corn, and other dishes that I can't seem to remember. Oh, and there's Carmen's Best Ice-Cream, too (triple yum!!!).
A lot of well-wishers braved the Ortigas traffic just to attend the special mass and blessing of Chef Jessie Sincioco's newest restaurant. Really, the place was really full and everyone didn't mind the hot weather that day. Heard from Chef Jessie that they had around 200 guests. Congratulations Chef Jessie !!! :)
And a few days after it opened, Isabel and I found ourselves on our way there for lunch. Travel from our place in Sta. Mesa up to The Grove Rockwell is around 20 minutes - yey, no traffic! The place was full (mostly families) when we arrived but they managed to set a table for us in a quiet corner.
Alugbati with Dulong, P250. I adore alugbati so I didn't really think twice when I saw it on the menu. Also, I'm curious about "with Dulong." I was thinking that maybe the salad will be paired with thin Dulong pancakes but the one on the plate wasn't what I envisioned it to be, Okay, I do have a weird imagination (sometimes). Anyways, the salad was refreshingly fresh; it has a light calamansi/bagoong vinaigrette with crispy Dulong and edible flowers (I forgot to ask what it is called though).
Grilled Kesong Puti, P300. Isabel ordered this. I mean, she's like the cheese-monster. She can eat cheese 24/7. I am not sure where they get their Kesong Puti but it was so good I was tempted to get a separate order for myself. The portion's good for sharing though but I wouldn't advice that to those who loves cheese. This is similar to Caprese except that it is grilled. Another nice and tasteful addition is the pansit-pansitan (peperomia pellucida linn) and the edible flowers.
Sea bass Miso baked in wood plank, P895. For mains, Isabel was contemplating between the Sea bass and the Salmon (she loves seafood). The Sea Bass won because she joined her school's drum ensemble this year and "bass" is like bass (pronounced as base) drum. Okay, you may have to ask her to explain more on the bass thing. I was like- OMG when her order arrived. I had a bite and it was wonderful- the fish was perfectly cooked, soft but not dry. And the miso sauce ... After that bite, I was feeling sad that I ordered chicken. Boo hoo hoo ...
Special Chicken Adobo, P695. So here's what I ordered, chicken adobo. I've been craving for some adobo lately and almost everyone knows I can't cook adobo. Comparing this to my daughter's order, I had a feeling that I should've ordered the sea bass also. And after a mouthful, I was still brooding about the fish and thinking about how succulent it was. But you know what, I suddenly appreciated the flavor of the grilled chicken adobo after several mouthfuls. And I was happy to say that I do like it better than the sea bass. The meat is tender, cooked, and bursting with flavor. The skin has a certain crispiness to it but doesn't taste burnt. So good! Not to mention the atchara which was kinda "bitin" for me since I love atchara. But wait, there's more ... did you notice that there's a slice of tomato and cheese on top of the chicken? It adds a nice twist to the grilled adobo. Definitely yum!
So what's a meal without dessert right? I had Green Tea Cheesecake (P250). Very creamy with just the right hint of matcha.
Chocolate Surprise, P250. Both Isabel and I were excited to try this. And yes, there's really a surprise here. I won't tell, you have to experience that yourself. ;)
And to sum it up, it was a very filling and happy lunch for both of us.
My happy lunch date. :)
*** RESTAURANT NOW CLOSED ***